The Path Overflowing With Love
by ibelieveintruelove
Summary: When Anakin learns of Palpatine's true identity, will he sacrifice everything to save Padme? Or will Padme be able to stop him before it's too late? Will Anakin fulfill the prophecy of the Chosen One and save the galaxy? AP, ROTS with AU ending. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

The Path Overflowing with Love

By: ibelieveintruelove

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; it belongs to the genius George Lucas. I just love to rewrite what he's written, so enjoy!

Prologue

In the beginning of the galaxy, when all things were new and alive in the Force, a prophecy was made of the dark times to come. This prophecy told of the reign of the Sith, and how the Jedi Knights would one day defeat them. But then, after a millenia, the Sith would return. A prophecy was made of the one who would destroy the Sith forever. It was called the Prophecy of the Chosen One…

_**When the galaxy lies in turmoil,**_

_**War torn and fraught with betrayal,**_

_**A Chosen One will rise from the ashes.**_

_**He will be born of the midichlorians themselves,**_

_**With no human father.**_

_**He will have powers unmatched by any before Him, **_

_**And it is with these powers that He will bring balance to the Force;**_

_**For only with the destruction of the Sith will the galaxy obtain peace.**_

_**Two paths are set before the Chosen One,**_

_**And His destiny will be fulfilled no matter which path He chooses.**_

_**But beware; the first path is fraught with anger and hate;**_

_**Suffering and death.**_

_**A path to the destruction of the Jedi this is, **_

_**With the Chosen One Himself becoming a victim of the dark.**_

_**The only chance of success for Him is the light at the end of the tunnel, **_

_**With an act of redemption before His death.**_

_**The second path holds deceit and betrayal,**_

_**Things that tempt the Chosen One to turn away from those He loves.**_

_**But when the moment of truth is put before Him;**_

_**The Chosen One will succeed.**_

_**He will destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force.**_

_**It will take all of His love and compassion to resist the Sith,**_

_**And it will take all of His strength to vanquish them.**_

_**But once he succeeds, a life full of love and honor awaits him.**_

_**Two paths are set before the Chosen One;**_

_**One clouded with darkness, One overflowing with love.**_

_**Only He can choose which path to take.**_

The road is now set, a path must be chosen. When the moment of truth is before him, what will he do?


	2. If It Means Saving You

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; it belongs to an incredibly amazing man named George Lucas. I just love to rewrite what he's written, so enjoy!

A/N: This story picks up in the middle of ROTS right after Anakin has told Mace Windu the true identity of Chancellor Palpatine. Anakin is waiting in the council room for Mace Windu to come back, and he is thinking over his decision.

Chapter 1: If It Means Saving You

Anakin sat in the council room while his emotions ran wild. "_I just sentenced Palpatine to death," _Anakin thought._ "No, I sentenced a Sith Lord to death, Palpatine is no more, he never was. He lied to me… but he had believed in me… no he-he deceived us all…but he still wants to help me_. _How could I accept friendship from a Sith?... but how can I not take his help?"_

His nightmares had been growing steadily worse, and he had to do something before… before what he didn't know, but he had to find a way to protect her. She insisted that she didn't need protection, but he couldn't believe that. He was her protector, her husband; he would do anything for her. And just when he had found the help he needed, the offer from Palpatine to save his wife had turned into an invitation to become a Sith Lord. How could he take his help? Hadn't he sworn to destroy the Sith, not join them? But… if he didn't accept Palpatine's help, what would happen to Padmé? Hadn't he sworn to protect _her_? To love her, honor her and cherish her in sickness and in health? Becoming a secretly married Jedi was proving to be more difficult than he ever could've imagined.

He had a choice, it was clear now: the only way to save Padmé was to go Palpatine and become a Sith, if he remained a Jedi he would remain powerless and would never be able to help her. But how could he abandon the Jedi? They had taken him in and trained him. Sure there had been a lot of doubts and difficulties, but they had never turned their backs on him, not completely. But could he live with himself if he didn't leave them, if he just stood back and let Padmé die? Anakin paced the room searching for an answer. Was there any way around this? Was there a way he could save her without Palpatine? He couldn't tell, and he didn't think he wanted to risk it. He wanted to save her; he wanted to save their child….

As Anakin paced he looked out the window and saw Padmé's senate building in the distance; he stared off toward the room that was hers, and closed his eyes. He needed to talk to her, to tell her what was going on. He had been drawing away from her, but he realized now that he would never be able to calm himself if he didn't talk to her. Her soothing presence, even if it was only in his mind, still comforted him more than anything.

The telepathic bond that Padmé and Anakin had developed over the years had at first been much unexpected. When Anakin and Padmé first met, they could sort of sense each others feelings, but only vaguely. They figured it was due to their close friendship, and they forgot about it after they separated. When they met again 10 years later, they found they had to build up mental shields to prevent their thoughts from screaming at each other. Now that they were married, they had worked at their connection until they were both strong enough to let each other in, but also strong enough to keep others out.

Anakin reached out to her now in his most desperate hour, aching for the feel of her mind echoing in his, wishing that he could be with her, holding her and their baby close to him, close to his heart. He wanted to protect them forever, to say by their side always.

"_Padmé"_, Anakin whispered into the room, but more importantly, whispered into her mind.

--

"_Anakin?"_ Padmé whispered.

She had been sitting at her desk going over her senate notes when she heard him whisper across their bond. She got up and went to the window, looking out at the Jedi temple, to where she knew Anakin was.

"_Anakin, I'm here",_ she told him,_ "it's okay"._

"_Oh, Padmé",_ he responded, unsure of how to explain this to her _"I- I don't know what to do… I was with Chancellor Palpatine when he… he told me that he could teach me things… things that the Jedi couldn't teach me…"_

"_What?" _Padmé replied, utterly bewildered by what she was hearing_, "Anakin are you alright? What do you mean by -"_

"_Padmé,"_ Anakin interrupted, spitting it all out, _"he-he's a Sith Lord, the one we've been looking for..."_

Padme almost fell over in her suite. She clutched the back of her chair as she tried to comprehend what Anakin was telling her. This was impossible. How could Palpatine be the villain behind all of this? He had been one of her advisors when she was Queen, she had trusted him; _everyone_ had trusted him. _How could this have happened?_ She thought with despair. She reached out for Anakin and could feel his own despair through their bond. She had sensed something was wrong when he had first reached out to her, and now it was clear as to the source of his anguish. Anakin had considered the Chancellor to be one of his closest friends, he had completely trusted him. This news was paining Anakin much more than it was her.

"_I…I can't believe it…oh, Anakin….I… I'm so sorry…you two were so close. What are you going to do?"_ Padmé asked Anakin, feeling his hurt and pain through their bond.

"_I turned him over to Master Windu"_ Anakin responded, not so sure that he had done the right thing anymore, _"He and four other Jedi are going to demand that he give up his powers now that Obi-Wan has stopped Grievous…"_

"_Obi-Wan stopped him? That's good Anakin!"_ Padmé cried, knowing that she had to reassure Anakin of his decision to turn over one of his mentors. _"You did the right thing, you know. You had to turn him over to Master Windu."_ Then Padmé came to a realization,_ "Oh Anakin this means that the war is over! You won't have to leave so often and-"_

"_No! Padmé you don't understand!"_ Anakin interrupted, his doubt growing inside of him now that his actions had been verbalized (well, thought) by another, _"Palpatine was the only way!"_

"_The only way?"_ Padmé asked, confused by Anakin's response.

"_The only way to save you,"_ he explained.

"_Anakin,"_ Padmé insisted, hoping Anakin would listen. She knew that she had to convince Anakin that his dreams about her death were just dreams, not visions. Not visions like the ones he had had about his mother. Padmé shuddered, hoping he was wrong. _"I told you, I'm not going to die in childbirth-"_

"_But Padmé what if this is the only way?"_ Anakin asked, frustrated by her insistence to not believe his dreams. _"What if Palpatine is the only way to save you?"_

"_Anakin listen to yourself!"_ Padmé screamed at him through their bond. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was scaring her, the things her husband was saying. She could sense the conflict within in him; she could feel him struggling with what to do. She knew she needed to help him, to snap him out of it; but she didn't know how.

"_Do you realize what you're saying?"_ she demanded. _"You're telling me that you're going to side with a Sith Lord! Do you realize how insane this is?"_

"_If it means saving you-"_Anakin continued.

"_No, no Anakin I can't let you do that", _Padmé interrupted. She couldn't let him do this. If Anakin joined the … no she couldn't even think it. It would be too unbearable for her.

"_I won't let you give up everything to save me!"_

"_Padmé you don't understand, if I just sit back and don't do anything I am going to be giving up everything! I can't give up on you Padmé, you are my everything,"_ Anakin insisted, trying to get her to realize the seriousness of the situation.

"_But Anakin, there have to be other ways to save me, Palpatine isn't the only way," _Padme was almost shaking in her apartment; she had moved to sit in her chair, unable to take all of this in. This wasn't happening to her, it wasn't…

"_I can't wait around to find out what the other ways are! I have to do what I can **now** to save you. I'm going to find Palpatine, and make sure he lives." _Anakin knew what he had to do now, everything was clear. If he stayed with the Jedi, he would lose Padmé; it was as simple as that.

"_NO!" _Padmé screamed. She had sensed Anakin's thoughts through their bond, but she still couldn't believe it. After a few deep breaths, she asked Anakin the one question that she never thought she would ever have to ask._ "Anakin… no this isn't happening, Anakin I can't believe this, are... are you telling me that you are going to leave the Jedi Order, and become a Sith Lord… all to save me??"_

"_Yes,"_ he answered. There was no point in lying to her; she would be able to tell.

"_No, no Anakin don't do this! It's not worth it Anakin!"_ Padme had fallen to the ground when he had answered; his yes had cut her like a knife. Her whole world was falling around her, and she couldn't stop it. She felt powerless.

"_You're not worth it?"_ Anakin demanded, not realizing how much pain he was causing his beloved._ "You've got to be kidding me; you're worth everything Padmé-"_

"_No Anakin listen to me," _Padmé pleaded,_ "I love you, but I cannot let you go through with this."_

"_Padmé, I don't have a choice", _he insisted._ "This is the only way."_

"_No, it's not, Anakin please... don't do this,"_ Padme was begging him, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

"_I'm sorry Padmé, I have to,"_ This was his final decision. There was no going back now.

"_Anakin…"_ She was running out of things to say. Was there even anything left to say?

"_I love you,"_ He told her, not wanting her to forget it.

"_I love you too..."_ That was all she could say.

And with that she felt Anakin walking out of the temple, and she felt her heart explode.

Padmé sat on her couch and sobbed her heart out. How could this be happening?? Her Ani, her love, was leaving everything, all to save her. She cursed his dreams under her breath. She wasn't going anywhere! How many times did she have to say it? And now Anakin was trying to save her from his nightmares, but all the while he was…he was hurting her, her heart was breaking, slowly, she could feel it being torn in half and the pain was unbearable. How could he do this to her?

"_He doesn't realize what he's doing_," Padme thought, "_he's doing this because he loves me and wants to save me, but all he's doing is losing me…he's going down a path that I can't follow…"_

What?

A path she couldn't follow? Who said that she couldn't follow him?! "_Yes, there's still hope_," she thought_, "I can go to him, talk to him in person, convince him to change his mind, to come with me and leave the Sith behind. I won't let him go without a fight, I won't let him become prey to the dark side, I will save him, if it's the last thing I do!"_

And with that Padmé began to get ready to visit the chancellor's office.


	3. I Should've Trusted You

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; it belongs to a genius called George Lucas. I just love to rewrite what he's written, so enjoy!

A/N: Over 150 hits so far (Yay!) but only 2 reviews ( Please review ppl, I need the encouragement! Ok, well here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2: I Should've Trusted You

Anakin's mind was set as he walked towards the senatorial building. He could see the fight ranging across the top level; he heard the glass shatter as he rode the turbo lift up to Palpatine's floor. As he rode he let the familiar feelings of anger and frustrations fill him as he had never let them before. He felt the darkness threaten to take over, just like it had the night his mother died. It felt strange to be abandoning his calm and tranquil Jedi state of mind, but letting his emotions fill him up seemed so much easier to do than to fight for the inner peace that the Jedi strived for. He smiled to himself. Maybe being a Sith wasn't such an act of betrayal. Perhaps, becoming a Sith was actually allowing him to be true to himself, to let his emotions control his actions, like they had before he was a Jedi. Suppressing his feelings and emotions and trying to calm his mind like a Jedi was the real crime. He wasn't hurting anyone by this decision; in fact he was saving someone. Someone he loved more than anything.

With that last thought the turbo lift came to a halt and the doors slowly hissed open. As he stepped out into the open, he headed for the office. At the door way, he hesitated, waiting in the shadows, to observe the fight undetected by Mace and the Chancellor.

Mace had Palpatine down on the ground where the window was, telling him that the Sith were over. Palpatine then growled, "NO!" and bolts of blue-white lightning shot from his finger tips, attacking Mace Windu. Mace was there with his lightsaber, deflecting the bolts and sending them back to Palpatine. The lightning deflecting back to Palpatine struck him across his face, causing it to violently wrinkle and sag.

Anakin waited in the shadows, frozen, holding his breath and wondering how long Mace would hold. As he suspected, Mace started to falter a little, and Palpatine pushed harder, getting up on his feet and bringing on his assault full force. Mace staggered against the lightning and Palpatine's obvious force pushes that struggled to knock Mace off his feet. Mace held his ground, but unfortunately his lightsaber had other ideas. Just as Mace strengthened his hold on his weapon, it started to flicker, the purple light grew dim, and his lightsaber exploded into a million tiny pieces. At this Palpatine gave an evil cackling laugh, and he brought on the lightning again. Mace tried to use the force to hold it off, but it was no use, he fell to the ground and screamed in agony, the bolts of lightning feeling like a thousand tiny knives stabbing him everywhere at once.

At his screams Anakin started. "_Why am I just standing here?"_ he thought_, "I need to help him!"_ But his legs wouldn't move. The dark emotions inside of Anakin told him to make Mace suffer for all the doubts he had had in Anakin, make him pay for his mistakes. But the other side of Anakin told him that this wasn't right, that Master Windu didn't deserve this. Anakin took a deep breath and reached into the force to calm himself. As he called on the force, a vision came before him, clouding out Mace and the Chancellor.

The vision was blurry; the only thing Anakin could recognize was the blue Force lightning flying towards the ground. As the scene cleared Anakin realized that it was Palpatine who was wielding the lightning, old and wrinkled, dressed in a black robe. He was torturing a young man with his bolts of lightning just as he tortured Mace now. Anakin looked hard at the young man on the floor. He saw sandy-blonde hair being tossed back and forth; he saw bright blues eyes roll in pain.

"_He... he looks like me"_, Anakin realized.

Then the young man screamed in pain, causing the emperor to cackle. "Father!" the boy said, "Help me!"

"_That boy… he… he's my son!"_ Anakin realized. "_He's my son and Palpatine is killing him!"_

"Father, please!" the boy cried "Help me!"

"_What am I doing?_" Anakin thought. Why was he just standing there, letting him die? Did Palpatine have so much control over him that he was going to let him kill his own son?

No, no that wouldn't happen. He wouldn't be anyone's slave, least of all Palpatine's.

But he had to make sure he lived, Padmé's life depended on it.

But he still could save Master Windu, couldn't he?

Anakin opened his to see the scene in front of him. He heard Mace's screams of pain and saw the vicious evil glint in Palpatine's eyes. Anakin called on the force, concentrated his thoughts, and with one huge force push, he sent Palpatine flying into the wall. Anakin ran to him, and prayed that he hadn't hurt him. He searched for a pulse, and found one, even though Palpatine was unconscious. When he was sure that he would be alright, he went and checked on Master Windu. He was lying on the ground, moaning in pain. Blood crusted his eyelids so that he couldn't see. When Anakin lifted his wrist to find a pulse, he found his bones felt weak and brittle.

"Master Windu?" Anakin whispered.

"An-anakin," Mace whispered through clenched teeth. "Y-You were right about Palpatine; he-he's a Sith Lord."

"Master you need to relax..."Anakin pleaded.

"Listen…Anakin," Mace protested. "The others, dead, you must destroy the Sith, Anakin, you must stop him..."

"Master please..." Anakin begged.

"You are...you are the chosen one, Anakin, you must bring balance…." Mace gasped.

"Master…"

"I should've trusted you Anakin…I'm sorry…"

"Master! No please hold on…" Anakin moved his hand to Mace's forehead and tried to heal him through the force. Then Anakin felt Master Windu move his hand away from him.

"It's too late for me Anakin," Mace decided, "it's up to you now…"

"Master, I should've come with you, Master please, hold on…" Anakin pleaded

"You can end this Anakin, I believe in you……" Mace whispered.

And with that Mace slipped out of consciousness, and Anakin bent his head over and cried. He cried for Master Windu, for Chancellor Palpatine, for Padmé, and for himself. He wanted to do what Mace said, he so badly knew that he had to end this, but how would he live with himself if he killed the one man who had always believed in him?

_(Obi-Wan and Master Windu and Padmé believe in you...)_

And how could he kill the man that could save Padmé? Through stifled sobs Anakin stood and calmed himself. Then he went to Palpatine's side, and began to revive him through the Force.


	4. What Have You Done?

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; it belongs to the fabulous George Lucas. I just love to rewrite what he's written, so enjoy!

A/N: You know the routine; read AND review and you'll make my day! Tell me your honest opinion of the story too, suggestions are welcome! This is just a little filler scene before we get back to Anakin, just to let you know what's going on with the other characters. Enjoy ; )

Chapter 3: What Have You Done?

"Oh will no one listen to me!" Padmé screamed, "I need to talk to Master Kenobi, it's very urgent!"

"I'm sorry milady," Commander Cody replied, "but he is fighting somewhere on Utapah, it is impossible for us to try and pull him away now".

Padmé sighed in exasperation; she had been trying to reach Obi-Wan for the past twenty minutes. Once she had decided to stop Anakin from joining Palpatine, she knew that she would need Obi-Wan to help her get through to Anakin. But now he was apparently still fighting, even though General Grievous was gone.

"Commander it is of the utmost importance that I speak with him," Padme insisted. "Will you please connect me to his personal comlink?"

"Milady..." Cody argued.

"That was not a request, Commander", Padmé replied, using her political authority to get what she wanted.

Cody sighed inwardly. This senator was causing too much trouble for him and he needed to be helping his men.

"Yes milady, I'm connecting you now", Cody informed her.

"Thank you commander", Padmé replied.

Padme held her breath as she waited for Obi-Wan to answer his comlink. She didn't realize it, but silent tears were falling down her cheeks. She was so afraid for Anakin; she didn't know how to get through to him. Her only option was to ask Obi-Wan to come with her and speak to Anakin, to try and convince him that he was doing the wrong thing. She realized that telling Obi-Wan meant revealing their marriage to him, but she had to do it. If Anakin was to be saved, she had to tell him the whole truth.

"What is taking so long?" Padme cried in exasperation.

Suddenly, she felt a small kick from her stomach. She gasped and rubbed the place on her stomach where the baby had kicked. Then it kicked again, on exactly the opposite side of her belly.

"Oh…" Padme cried, tears still rolling down her cheeks. The doctor was right. She had been to see him this morning and he had told her that she was having twins, a boy and a girl. She had been planning to tell Anakin the news when he came home, but he hadn't been home yet.

"Hold on my babies," Padmé whispered to her belly. "It's going to be okay... hold on my loves..."

--

Obi-Wan walked towards Commander Cody, where he realized he had dropped his lightsaber. He smiled inwardly to himself, thinking about what Anakin would say if he found out that his old master had done the one thing that he had insisted Anakin never do.

"Master Kenobi," said Commander Cody, running towards him with his lightsaber. "We have been trying to reach you; there is a senator who has been trying to get in contact with you."

"A Senator?" Obi-Wan questioned, taking his lightsaber. He didn't know of any senators who would be contacting him now, the Jedi didn't normally converse with senators outside of their assignments. That is, most Jedi didn't…… suddenly Obi-Wan had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Patch her through to my ship Commander," Obi-Wan said as he walked towards his fighter.

"Yes, sir" said Cody, wondering how Master Kenobi knew that it was a female senator.

Obi-Wan quickly entered his ship, and took off. If Senator Amidala had a reason to contact him, then something must be very wrong….

His comlink flashed blue as the senator's picture slowly came into focus.

"Senator Amidala?"

"Master Kenobi, I'm so glad you responded," Padme replied.

Obi-Wan studied her appearance. He hadn't seen the senator in recent weeks, and he realized that something had changed within her. She was wearing more voluminous senate robes than she usually wore, but even those robes couldn't hide the obvious fact…she was pregnant.

"_Oh, Anakin, what have you done?" _Obi-Wan thought.

"Senator, is there anything I can do?"

"Obi-Wan," she whispered, lowering her eyes. "It's- It's about Anakin."

Obi-Wan sighed. He knew this couldn't be good.

"Obi-Wan" Padme continued, "He found the Sith Lord, the one the Jedi have been looking for."

"What?" Obi-Wan exclaimed. Only the Jedi shared the fact that they knew that there was a Sith Lord behind the war. If Padme knew about the Sith Lord, then Anakin must be in a lot of trouble.

"Tell me everything Padme," Obi-Wan insisted. "And don't leave anything out."


	5. She Doesn't Want This

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars; it belongs to the fabulous George Lucas. I just love to rewrite what he's written, so enjoy!

A/N: Ok, you guys have been really nice in your reviews, so I'm posting the next chapter tonight instead of tomorrow. I hope you're happy! But this means I expect LOTS of reviews, people! Tell me what you think!

Chapter 4: She Doesn't Want This

Anakin's breath caught in his throat as Palpatine's eyes flickered open and his breath came back in ragged gasps.

"Anakin," Palpatine whispered. "You stopped him, my boy, very good, very good..."

"Let me help you up, Chancellor" Anakin said.

"No need, my boy," Palpatine insisted, and then he was upon his feet, retrieving his fallen lightsaber, and fixing his robes.

"Chancellor?" Anakin questioned. One minute ago he had been near death and now he was walking around his office as if he had merely been napping.

"Ah, Anakin, you are doing very well. I knew you would not let me perish with your wife's life on line. I'm very glad, my son," Palpatine responded, praising his accomplishments.

"But, you weren't in any danger of dying?" Anakin questioned, still confused at Palpatine's miraculous recovery.

"Of course not," Palpatine replied, "but you stopped that traitor Jedi. Now you have your proof Anakin. The Jedi are trying to take over."

"What?" Anakin gasped, completely shocked by this revelation.

"I know this is a lot to take in Anakin, but believe me, it was right of you to decide to leave the Jedi behind. Once again, the Sith will rule the galaxy!" Palpatine cackled, "And we shall have peace…"

"As – as long as I can save Padmé," Anakin insisted.

"Of course, my boy," Palpatine continued. "To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret. And then, we shall go out and take the galaxy for ourselves. We will rule the galaxy, just as the Sith have been meant to do. We will tuck Padmé away somewhere safe, where no harm can come to her. Then, we will strike! We will strike with all the power and vengeance of the Sith, and the whole galaxy will tremble at our knees!" And with that Palpatine let out a loud long evil laugh, one that struck Anakin to the bones.

"_What am I doing?"_ he thought. "_I – I can't join him, I can't betray everyone I've ever loved. I swore to never let the Sith return to the galaxy! How can I just stand by and let this happen?" _

Anakin felt his anger grow towards Palpatine instead, and found himself hating everything about this wizened old man. But, a part of Anakin still remained calm, still tried to keep the darkness from totally engulfing him.

"_But what about Padmé…"_ Anakin thought_, "wait, he - he admitted to not having the power to stop death! He just said that this power was only achieved by one, and that together we would find it! NO, I don't have time to find it together; I need to save her now! And what else did he say, about tucking her away somewhere safe? She would never want that, she wants to be in the Senate, helping her people, she would never agree to this! She wouldn't want this!"_

_**She already told you that she didn't want this**._

Anakin looked up at Palpatine, at his wrinkled features, his yellow evil eyes resembling dark sockets in his face. Anakin felt his feelings conflicting, he sensed his dark emotions threaten to take over, threaten to make him lash out in a rage at Palpatine. Then Anakin's force vision flooded his mind again. He saw his son writhing in pain on the ground, screaming for help from his father. Suddenly, all thought of anger and hate left his mind as he realized what he was thinking. He would not let the darkness inside of him take over. He would not let that dream come true. He wouldn't let that happen, he **couldn't** let this happen.

"_I know what I have to do_," Anakin thought, "_Force help me, I will not let this man make me his slave."_

"I'm sorry Chancellor," Anakin said, his jaw set in a firm and grim expression, "but I can **not** join you. I am a Jedi Knight, I am the chosen one, and I cannot just sit by and watch you destroy everything that the Jedi have worked for."

As Anakin looked at Palpatine, he saw the emotions pass across his face; first disbelief, then fear, and then an evilly grim determination.

"Very well, my boy," Palpatine sneered. "Far be it from me to tell you to save your wife!"

And with that Palpatine took out his lightsaber and attacked Anakin, but Anakin's blue-white blade was there, and was there again every single time.

--

Padmé was dressed in her maternity jumpsuit. It didn't matter now if anyone knew that she was pregnant; all that mattered now was Anakin. She had to get to him, before it was too late.

Padmé hid some extra blasters in her boots and hooked two on her belt. She was headed for the chancellor's building, but not without protection. She knew that to ask for a legion of clones to protect her would prove deadly, considering that Palpatine was controlling them all. Instead she had contacted her friend Senator Bail Organa and, after explaining the true identity of Chancellor Palpatine to him (without revealing her relationship with Anakin), with the help of his guards and her security team, they were going to break into the building and take out all the clones inside. Once they took control of the building, Bail and his guards would find the command center for the clones, and try to order all the clones to stop fighting. Padmé and her guards would continue on to find Anakin.

As Padmé turned to go something caught her eye. She looked over to her vanity and saw a necklace laying there. It was her necklace; the one Anakin had made for her out of a japor snippet. She picked up the necklace reverently and placed it over her head, tracing the designs with her fingers.

"I'm coming Ani," she whispered, tears falling from her eyes, "Hold on".

Padmé dried her eyes, left her apartment with her guards, and headed for her transport. She felt a soft kick from inside her womb, and allowed herself a small smile. There was

still hope, she knew it. And she would not let that hope die.


	6. Your Focus Determines Your Reality

Disclaimer: Star Wars is not my idea (I'm not that good!); it belongs to the wonderful flannel man George Lucas. I only play around in his universe.

A/N: Here's the next installment in my story! Ok, now I'm not sure if what Obi-Wan sees through the Force is actually possible in the Star Wars universe, but just go along with it, it works for the story. Thanks to all those who reviewed; if I get more reviews tonight then maybe I'll post another chapter before I go to school tomorrow! Yes, I know, I'm totally begging for reviews; but they keep me going! So with out further ado…

Chapter 5: Your Focus Determines Your Reality

Obi-Wan was usually not a very impatient man. But the fact that he had been sent to (what seemed like) the farthest planet from Coruscant when he was needed there most was really starting to annoy him. He wouldn't be able to come out of hyperspace soon enough.

He needed to get to Anakin. He needed to stop him before… he didn't want to think about it. He just needed to get to Anakin, and fast.

Obi-Wan thought about what Padmé had revealed to him over their communication. It wasn't as if the news of their marriage had surprised him, he always had known that there was something between them. But to have been married for three years and not tell him? And then to have a **baby** on the way and still not tell him? Babies actually, but not even Anakin knew about that yet. He was supposed to be Anakin's best friend, and Anakin had been lying to him for three years about who he really was. How could he betray him like that? Betray the whole Jedi Order like that?

"_He could've at least told me"_ Obi-Wan mused. "_I wouldn't have told anyone… or would I?"_

Obi-Wan was bound by the Code to report this kind of thing. If Anakin had told him, what would he have chosen? Obi-Wan could better understand Anakin's problem now. Even if Anakin had wanted to tell Obi-Wan (which Obi-Wan decided to assume that Anakin did want to tell him), he wouldn't have wanted to put Obi-Wan in that position. If Anakin was going to go down, he was going down alone.

"_He is always looking out for others",_ Obi-Wan thought, remembering how Anakin had refused to leave him behind while on their mission to rescue the Chancellor. The Chancellor…Darth Sidious…Chancellor Palpatine, only now did it all make sense. Obi-Wan cursed himself for not seeing through him before. How could they have let a Sith Lord become Chancellor of the Republic!?! It was unthinkable…yet it had happened. And now he was threatening to take over the galaxy and to corrupt the Chosen One.

"_Why did I let Anakin get so close to him?"_ Obi-Wan thought regretfully.

Obi-Wan silently cursed the extreme slowness of his fighter. He couldn't believe that he had been manipulated into going to the Outer Rim. But it made sense. If Palpatine was calling all the shots, then Palpatine had been planning for him to be gone when he made his move with Anakin. Why hadn't he seen this? Why hadn't he stopped Anakin from talking with Palpatine? He should've been stricter, more cautious, he should've…

"_No, no I can't start telling myself what I should have and should not have done,"_ Obi-Wan told himself._ "Not yet, there's still hope_."

Obi-Wan calmed down and reached out into the Force. He was too far away to try and communicate with Anakin telepathically, and he was afraid that if he tried to he would be shut out. Instead he just closed his eyes and let the Force flow through him to show him what was happening.

He couldn't see much at first, but then he saw a pregnant woman (Padmé) and her guards storming a building: the Chancellor's building. He smiled to himself. Padmé never gave up hope, she was so determined. He almost understood why Anakin had fallen for her. Then Obi-Wan's view wandered to the top of the building. He felt all the emotions rush at him: the fear, the anger, the hate, the determination, the…calmness?

Obi-Wan probed further and, with the aid of the Force, he saw the battle. Palpatine and Anakin were dueling across the office, each determined to see the fall of the other. He probed into Anakin's emotions and felt…. calmness, concentration, and determination. Not the fear or anger that he had expected. He could feel the hate radiating off of Palpatine, but he felt Anakin brush it off.

"_He's not giving in",_ Obi-Wan thought. "_He's fighting the Sith, he's not giving into his hate."_

Obi-Wan felt a small surge of hope fill his chest. Anakin truly was the Chosen One. He was battling a Sith Lord: he was fulfilling his destiny. Obi-Wan felt his own pride and joy flood through his body. Maybe this flight wouldn't be as long as he thought.

--

Anakin kept his focus on only one thing; defeating the chancellor. He remembered a saying that Qui-Gon had once told him, _"Your focus determines your reality". _ Anakin was now living those words, hoping that Qui-Gon was right. Nothing else mattered right now except for this. He memorized his opponent's fighting style, predicting his next moves and delivering blows when he saw an opening. He was holding his own against a Sith Lord, the Sith Master at that, but he wasn't about to let it get to his head.

Then, he felt a surge in the force. It was filled of joy, of pride, of hope and... love. Anakin reached out and found who it was. It was Obi-Wan, his master and his best friend. Anakin let Obi-Wan's happiness fill him and started to feel a little better. His master's pride was something scarcely given, and therefore always worth receiving.

But he lingered on that thought too long.

Palpatine saw his opening and took it; a slash into Anakin's side. With a scream of pain Anakin fell to the ground, holding his side, wiling the blood to stop flowing out of his fresh wound.

The Chancellor cackled in delight. "You fool," he said, "It is pointless to resist me! You are wasting your efforts, when they could be much better spent."

"You're wrong!" Anakin said through clenched teeth. "I can't believe I ever trusted you. This whole time, you've been buttering me up and fueling my pride, and it was all lies! All you wanted was power, and an apprentice to give it to you. Well I've got news for you, _Chancellor_; I will not be your slave!"

"Ah my boy, that is what you think," Palpatine replied, mocking Anakin with his words. "Soon you will discover that the only way to achieve what you really want is through me and only through me! What have the Jedi ever given you except criticisms and admonishes? I have been the one to see you though the hard times! You owe them nothing! So stop pretending, boy, and become my apprentice. Together we can achieve what no one before us has ever achieved before."

Anakin looked at the Chancellor with disgust. "_How could I ever have thought that he was trustworthy? That he was a good man?"_

"You're wrong," Anakin responded. "You may have comforted me before, but you were never the reason that I kept going. There is but one person in my life that I go to in my happiness and in my sorrow, and that is my wife, Padmé. And I intend to save her from you, _Chancellor_. It's clear to me now that you never intended to save her, all you wanted to do was pull me in and make me your dark slave, to use me to do your bidding! Well that is not going to happen, not if I have anything to say about it!"

Palpatine then emitted a strangled noise, followed by a whispered threat, "That's what you think."

Once again their epic battle ensued, with both sides even stronger in their resolve.


	7. What It Means To Be A Jedi

Disclaimer: Star Wars is not my idea; it belongs to the genius in flannel, George Lucas. I only play around in his universe.

A/N: Here's the next installment in my story! I really appreciate all the reviews, so keep 'em coming!

Chapter 6: What It Means To Be A Jedi

Padmé ran through the halls (which was not an easy feat for a heavily pregnant woman), only stopping to dash behind pillars to avoid getting shot. She and her guards were headed for the Chancellor's office, and she was stopping at nothing to get there. As she rounded the next corner, the turbo lift came into view.

"Captain Typho, bring as many men with as you can, leave the rest to guard the perimeter," Padme ordered. "Motée, Ellé, and I will go up first, follow as soon as possible."

"Yes, Milady," Typho answered.

Motée, Ellé and Padme entered the turbo lift and rose to the top floor. Before they left the turbo lift to enter the Chancellor's office, Padmé stopped to speak to her faithful handmaidens.

"Motée, Ellé, if the worst has happened and we walk into a trap, promise me that you'll both try to get away and warn Typho of what has happened," she told them. "I will not let you die as a result of my stubborn determination."

"Milady, we will stand by you until the end-" Motée insisted.

"Milady, we could never abandon you-" Ellé agreed.

"Please, Motée, Ellé, promise me that if- if when we get up there Anakin is- is gone- that you will go straight back down. Please promise me," Padmé pleaded. She looked into their eyes to tell them that she needed then to do this. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she endangered yet two more good friends. She had lost two before, and didn't want that to happen again.

"We promise milady," they responded.

Padmé smiled at her handmaidens. They were the only two people in the universe who knew about her secret marriage and her pregnancy. Padmé thought back to all the handmaidens she had had in her years in public service. When she was the Queen of Naboo, she had hadYané, Saché, Rabé, Eirtaé, and Sabé. They had stayed on Naboo when she had become Senator, and she missed them, they had been her best friends. For her first term as Senator, she had had Cordé, Versé, and Dormé. Cordé and Versé had both died in the assassination attempt on Coruscant, and she had released Dormé at the start of the Clone Wars, knowing that she had a family that she wanted to be with. She missed them often too. Now, she had Motée and Ellé, two handmaidens that were just as loyal as all the rest.

"Thank you," Padmé replied, hoping that they realized how grateful she was.

With that Padmé opened the turbo lift door and looked on the scene before her. She saw three Jedi Masters dead on the floor, each one fallen to Palpatine's blade. As she made her way through the office she stopped as she heard the hiss of lightsabers. She hid in the shadows (as Anakin had done before) and surveyed the battle. She saw Mace Windu on the ground, and she prayed that he too was not dead. Then she looked toward her husband, her dear Ani, and realized what had happened.

"_He's fighting Palpatine," _she thought, "_he's not going to join him!" _

Padmé almost cried out in relief at her discovery, but she stopped herself. She had to remain hidden, she couldn't be seen. If Anakin saw her it would distract him and Palpatine would win. And if Palpatine saw her...she shuddered to think what might happen then. She signalled to her handmaidens and they crept back towards the turbo lift.

"Listen to me, Motée, Ellé," Padme said. "There is still hope that Anakin may be alright. Go back down and tell the others to stay where they are. Don't come back up. Don't let anyone else come up either, unless Master Kenobi makes it in time. Do you understand?"

"Milady we can't just leave you here-" Motée persisted.

"You have to Motée, it's the only way. If I am in grave danger, I'll signal you with my comlink. I'll be alright," Padme smiled to her. "Anakin's here".

"_Oh, it feels so good to say that!" _Padmé thought.

Motée and Ellé left in the turbo lift and Padme went back to watch the battle from the shadows. As she neared she felt two soft kicks from inside her belly. She looked down and smiled, "It's alright; my babies, daddy and I aren't going anywhere."

--

Anakin felt her presence in the room as soon as she stepped out of the turbo lift, even though no noise accompanied her entrance. It took all of the control that he could muster to not run from Palpatine and go straight into her arms. He should've known that she would come, she never let go of anything without a fight. He reached out into the force and sensed her apprehension, her fear and then…. her hope. He felt her presence in the shadows of the room, the same hiding place he had used earlier. He sensed her joy at seeing that Anakin hadn't turned, and he almost smiled. But he kept on at the fight, now with a renewed hope and confidence. That was the third time today that someone had said they believed in him, that someone had expressed their joy at seeing him fighting against this evil.

"_This is what it means to be a Jedi,"_ Anakin realized. "_It's more than connecting with the force and defeating the Sith. It's about protecting the people you love." _

With this in mind, Anakin charged ahead in his fight, not calling on his anger to aide him, but instead calling on his love. He realized that it was this feeling that gave him the most power, not the dark emotions that had been filling him up before. He used the joy and love and pride that he had felt from those he loved, and allowed those emotions to flood through his body. These feelings gave him hope, gave him concentration, and gave him focus. He looked at Palpatine and realized that his focus was weakening, and with it his attack. Anakin saw an opening, and he took it. With one sweep of his lightsaber and a grab from the force, Palpatine's lightsaber flew from his hand and landed in Anakin's. Palpatine sneered at Anakin and they began circling around the room.

The Chancellor was not oblivious to what had been happening around them during the battle. He knew that Senator Amidala had taken over his building, and he sensed her presence in the room. He slowly circled Anakin, waiting for him to take the wrong step so that he could attack his precious wife.

But Anakin was on to him. He let Palpatine lead him in a circle around the room, but Anakin was not about to let him take a shot at his wife. As Palpatine turned to face the corner where Padme was hidden, Anakin struck, full-force, with both lightsabers. He managed to cut Palpatine's arm and his side, but not before Palpatine struck, and this time with his lightning. Anakin quickly turned the lightsabers to deflect the lightning back at Palpatine. He angled them expertly so that lightning would not get past him. He reached into the force and willed the crystals in the two sabers to hold out, to out last Palpatine's strength. He hoped that they would, because after they went out, he didn't know what would come next.


	8. Then Everything Went Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its fabulous characters. It all belongs to George Lucas, who I like to picture as a combination of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Luke Skywalker; the four greatest Jedi ever! Well, besides Yoda and Mace Windu and Leia (because we all know she's gonna be one), and Kit Fisto and… well, you catch my drift.

A/N: I have over 1300 hits on this story, but only 14 reviews!! C'mon guys, I need more reviews or else I'll think that you don't want to read it and then I'll just stop writing it! Please review, the ending isn't finished yet and without more reviews I don't think I'll be motivated enough to write it!

Chapter 8: Then Everything Went Black

Obi-Wan pulled his ship into a landing space underneath the Chancellor's building. He jumped out and quickly ran inside, where he was met by Captain Typho.

"Master Kenobi," Typho greeted him as he walked towards him. "Senator Amidala thought that you would be coming. She asked for us to send you up to the Chancellor's office when you arrived."

"Is anything wrong?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, Master," a handmaiden interjected. "I was just up there with the senator. She insisted that I leave, not wanting to distract Anakin from his fight. She said that you should be the only one allowed up to see her."

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding and headed for the turbo lift. He spent the ride up calming himself, hoping that his presence wouldn't distract Anakin. Suddenly, he felt a strong disturbance in the force.

_**Anakin!**_

--

Anakin screamed in pain and fell to the floor. The red lightsaber had gone out, and his own blue lightsaber had flown from his hands into Palpatine's grasp. His body was now being tortured by lightning, and the pain was unbearable. Then, it stopped, and he saw Palpatine walk up next to him.

"You fool!" he spat "You think you can defeat me? A Sith Lord? I don't care if you are the Chosen One or not. Now you are just an annoyance, one that I will be glad to be rid of."

Anakin gritted his teeth in pain as another wave of Force lightning coursed through his body. Would the pain never go away? He needed to fight back, to get up, but the intense agony of the lightning allowed none of these things. Then, as Palpatine ended his brutal attack, Anakin felt a soothing, healing wave through the force.

"_Obi-Wan,"_ he thought.

"_It's alright, Anakin,"_ Obi-Wan responded through their bond. "_Calm yourself. Focus your energy. You can end this, I know it."_

Anakin nodded to himself and slowly felt the pain subside. Now it was just a dull ache all over his body. He watched as Palpatine fingered his lightsaber, studying its make.

"Impressive," he said. "Your lightsaber holds up well against my lightning. I have never seen one that has before yours. It's a pity that you won't offer your assistance to my cause. I never wanted to have to kill you like this, but I see now that I will have to. Just like I will have to kill all the rest of your Jedi friends. But their deaths won't bother me in the least. Your death, though, will be a disappointment. You could've been such a wonderful apprentice, Anakin. You were so strong, so powerful. Ah, well. I guess this is goodbye, my boy."

And Palpatine ignited Anakin's lightsaber and raised it for the kill.

What Palpatine wasn't prepared for, though, was the fact that Anakin still might have enough strength left to defend himself. He hadn't thought that Anakin might reach through the force and spin his lightsaber around, effectively beheading Palpatine. And by the time it happened, it was too late for Palpatine to even think about.

--

Anakin slowly got up and examined Palpatine, whose head was now on the floor next to his body. Anakin would never be able to forgive himself for not recognizing the evil in him sooner. He would never forgive himself for almost joining him.

"_But he's gone now,"_ Anakin told himself. "_It's all over_."

Then Anakin remembered the other person in the room and turned to where his wife was hidden. She stepped out of the shadows and Anakin saw her tear stained face, and the broad smile that seemed to shine throughout the room.

"You did it Anakin," she said. "You saved me."

Anakin smiled and held his arms open as his wife came to embrace him. She was right; she was always right. Anakin silently let his tears fall as he wrapped himself up in his wife, pulling her close.

"Anakin?" Padmé questioned, feeling his tears wet her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry Padmé," Anakin said, holding her close to him, "I – I failed you, I let you down. I almost…"

Padmé pulled away from Anakin and looked into his eyes. "You listen to me Anakin Skywalker," she demanded. "You did NOT fail. You are the strongest man, the strongest Jedi that I know. What happened tonight was a victory. You succeeded Anakin, you didn't fail. You were strong, and you resisted him. I always knew you were strong, Anakin, and you proved me right. Don't ever let me hear say that you failed me, because you never could."

Anakin smiled down at his wife, loving the intense fire in her eyes whenever she spoke about what she believed in. It made him love her ten times more.

"I love you so much Padmé," he told her.

"I love you, too," she said, "more than anything."

Anakin leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a loving kiss, one that showed her all the things that he couldn't put into words.

Suddenly, Anakin felt another familiar presence, and he slowly pulled away from Padmé to find Obi-Wan entering the room. His face was unreadable, but Anakin could feel the pride radiating off him.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan greeted.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin responded, wondering how Obi-Wan was reacting to seeing him with a very pregnant Padmé. Anakin met Obi-Wan's eyes, and when he saw the compassion and understanding that met him there, he knew that he had been forgiven.

So, master and apprentice embraced as Padmé stood to the side, letting her tears of happiness fall as she rubbed her belly, a smile of pure joy lighting up her face.

--

_They must be crazy if they think that just by destroying my physical body they will destroy me. My spirit is too powerful to just let go and become a part of the Force. No, I will hold on to the darkness and make Anakin pay for what he did to me. He will not get away with this! He will regret that he didn't join me, and he will live with that pain for the rest of his life!_

--

Obi-Wan couldn't have been prouder of his former-Padawan. He had fulfilled his destiny, just as Qui-Gon had predicted.

"_I was wrong to question you, Master,"_ Obi-Wan silently admitted.

He was a bit disappointed though. He was upset that Anakin had deliberately broken the Jedi Code to marry Padmé. He thought maybe he could talk Anakin out of this after he had almost lost him to the dark side because of Padmé's safety. But when Obi-Wan had seen the two of them embracing after the fight, when he had felt the surge of pure, never-ending and undying love that radiated from them through the Force, Obi-Wan knew that to separate Anakin and Padmé from each other would be disastrous. They couldn't survive without each other. Obi-Wan only hoped that Anakin had learned his lesson about the seductive powers of the Dark Side. If not…. Well, he wouldn't go there. Not now, not today. Today, he would celebrate.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin started, suddenly nervous, wanting to explain to his friend, "I-I'm sure you have some questions about-"

"It's alright Anakin," Obi-Wan interrupted, "Padmé already explained everything. We'll talk later. Right now I think Padmé has some news for you.

Padmé watched in delight as Anakin turned to look at her with a confused expression on his face. She smiled and reached out to take his hand.

"Ani…" she began.

But she didn't finish.

Padmé wanted so desperately to share the news of the twins with him, but something was stopping her. She couldn't form the words. It wasn't that she didn't want to; she ached to tell him, but something was physically preventing her from speaking. Padmé breathed in deep, in and out, in and out, in….. She couldn't breath. Something was stopping her. She tried to cough it up, thinking she swallowed some dust, but only ended up making a gagging, choking sort of noise. She looked up at Anakin, but his face was becoming blurry; she couldn't even see Obi-Wan in the background anymore. She closed her eyes and gasped for breath, but none came. The pressure around her throat was becoming unbearable; it felt as though a giant hand was choking the life out of her. She put her hands to her throat, as if to push away the unseen force that was stopping her breath. She was becoming very dizzy, she felt herself fall into someone's arms. She opened her eyes and saw the blurry outline of Anakin's face in front of hers.

"Ani…" she whispered.

Then everything went black.


	9. Love Conquers All

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its fabulous characters. It all belongs to George Lucas, who is my idol.

I labeled the last chapter wrong, it was chapter 7, and this is chapter 8. Sorry!

A/N: Wow, over 1900 hits on this story and my reviews are going up too! Thanks so much guys! I know the cliffhanger and the end of the last chapter was evil… but I had to keep you hooked somehow! I used my liberties as a writer again and stretched the workings of the Force a little, but I think you'll agree that it makes for a pretty good story. Oh, and I have some bad news. I'm kind of stuck as to where I want to take the story after this, so updates may not be as often as they have been. If you have any suggestions after you read, please let me know! And now that I've bored you all to tears…on to the story!

Chapter 8: Love Conquers All

Anakin looked at his wife's limp form in his arms. What had happened? Padmé had just been about to tell him something, but then she had started… choking, putting her hands to her neck, and gasping for breath. Next thing he knew, she had passed out, right in his arms. He felt almost powerless compared to whatever force had completely overtaken his wife.

"_Good. You should feel powerless, you ARE powerless."_

Anakin started and looked around for the source of that evil voice, until he realized that he had not heard the voice speak out loud, but had heard it through the Force. That voice could only me one thing… Palpatine. He had just rid the galaxy of that bastard, and now he was back!?! Anakin almost shook from the rage building up inside of him.

"ANAKIN!" someone screamed. He looked up and realized that Obi-Wan had been shaking him; he had completely tuned Obi-Wan out after Padmé had fainted.

"Obi-Wan, did you hear that?" Anakin whispered.

"No, Anakin I didn't hear anything…" Obi-Wan said suspiciously, "But we need to get Padmé to the medics, Anakin. Anakin, are you listening to me?"

But Palpatine's voice had entered Anakin's head again, telling him mockingly, "_Those medics won't be able to help her, I won't give up that easily. I really should be thanking you, Anakin. If you hadn't killed me I wouldn't have been able to become completely unified with the Dark Side of the Force. I really should be giving you the credit for your wife's inescapable death…."_

"NO!" Anakin screamed angrily. "You're lying! I know you are!" Then he looked down at Padmé's perfect face, and he let the tears fall. "No," he whispered. "No, I couldn't, I would never…"

Anakin knelt down and gingerly laid his wife on the ground. Obi-Wan looked at Anakin and finally realized what was happening.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said softly, "Palpatine is suffocating her, isn't he?"

The miserable look on Anakin's face was more than enough to answer Obi-Wan's question.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan continued, "Palpatine was a Sith Master. Sith Masters do not become one with the force when they die. When a Sith Master dies, it dies in an explosion of its own hatred and anger. Palpatine is obviously holding onto his spirit for as long as he can, but he can't hold on forever. You can defeat him, Anakin."

Anakin turned to look at his former Master, seeing the concern and trust reflected in his eyes. Anakin nodded, and sat back down next to Padmé, holding onto her hand. Obi-Wan took hold of the other.

"I'll keep them safe," Obi-Wan assured Anakin (referring to Padmé and the babies). "You deal with Palpatine."

Anakin swallowed back another lump in his throat and nodded. He closed his eyes, and reached out into the Force, feeling for Palpatine's presence. He felt it like a huge, black shadow, suffocating Padmé completely. Anakin reached forward and tried to push at the shadow, but with no luck.

"_You think a simple Force push can save your beloved? You are sorely mistaken."_

Anakin tried again, this time concentrating more on saving his wife than on killing Palpatine. He told himself that he needed to be strong; he needed to safe his wife and his unborn child. And, slowly, Palpatine was pushed away from Padmé. His dark shadow fought for control, and Anakin felt Palpatine's voice scream through his head.

"_There is nothing you can do to save her! You sentenced her to her death as soon as you refused to join me! It is of your own doing that she is now laying at her deathbed. What a pity. Anakin Skywalker, who was just about to have a family, is now just about to lose them. How cruelly the tables turn…."_

Anakin's rage built up inside of him until he was shaking violently. He pushed Palpatine away harder than before, but now he seemed to slip through his fingers, easily sliding right over Padmé, completely suffocating her once more.

"_Yes…good, very good. I may have some luck with you yet."_

Anakin might have jumped off the floor and kicked something if Obi-Wan hadn't seen the danger his friend was in. Obi-Wan reached out and sent Anakin a calming sensation through the force.

"_Easy Anakin, calm yourself,"_ Obi-Wan advised._ "The dark side feeds off of your anger, don't let it grow by feeding it your hate. Try to project feelings of calm and peacefulness, not hate and anger."_

Anakin listened to Obi-Wan and calmed himself. Then, while focusing on a peaceful starry sky, he reached out and started to push Palpatine away. It worked at first, but then Palpatine began to resist him. Anakin would be pushing him away, only to have Palpatine push back against him.

"_Why isn't this working?" _Anakin thought to himself. "_Palpatine definitely isn't getting any stronger. I had more control when my concentration was focused on saving Padmé…."_

Suddenly Anakin knew that all the peaceful and calm thoughts in the galaxy would never be enough to push Palpatine away. Palpatine was used to these Jedi tricks; he had avoided them for years. But Anakin had something that Palpatine had never had, something that Palpatine had taken to be Anakin's weakest point. And yet, Anakin knew that his love for Padmé wasn't a weak and feeble sentiment that could be turned and twisted by others so that it would feed their own needs. His love for Padmé was a strong sea of emotion, one that could never be calmed, because his love for her was everlasting.

Anakin reached out into the force and took hold of what was left of Palpatine's shadow. Then, he let all of his memories with Padmé flood through him. He thought of their first kiss at the Lake Country, of their meadow picnic by the waterfall, of the moment when they had shared their first kiss as husband and wife, and how much she meant to him. Anakin concentrated on thoughts of his love, and he felt Palpatine falling away.

Then, he heard a small gasp.

Padmé!

But this was followed by another choking noise, and he realized that his slip in concentration had just lost him all the ground he had won. He reached into the force again, to find Palpatine's dimming shadow (_he can't hold on much longer…)_ and pushed it back, all the while letting his memories flood him, allowing the joyous emotions to soak him through and through. Suddenly, he felt as though he was rammed up against a brick wall. He realized that Palpatine had stopped pushing against him and was merely staying put before Anakin could completely free Padmé. And Palpatine wasn't moving.

Then that evil voice whispered in his ear, "_Nice try, Skywalker. But you can't push me out of the way any longer. I've tightened my grip, and there is no way to destroy me without also killing her. She's not been breathing for awhile now… a little bit longer and my work here will be done."_

Anakin struggled against the panic rising in his chest, forcing himself to stay calm. He cleared his head and desperately tried to think of a way to save her. He couldn't push Palpatine away with memories anymore, they weren't strong enough. He had to make him experience a more powerful feeling of love; he had to make Palpatine _want _to draw away from all of it. But how…

Anakin allowed himself to open his eyes to look at Padmé. She was very pale and her face was drawn; the lack of oxygen was affecting her and he needed to do something, fast.

In this dire moment of desperation, Anakin helplessly wished for those sweet afternoons when he had visited his wife after a tough day at work, or a disappointing meeting with other senators. She always looked so sad and lost those days; he could feel her despair before he even walked into the room. But what made those afternoons so memorable was that he could take Padmé into his arms on those awful days and, after whispering comforting words into the silken river of her curls, he would bring his love up to his lips, and kiss away all her sadness and pain. After he kissed her it was almost as if he had breathed life back into her….

_**Breathed life back into her…**_

Anakin knew what he had to do. Ignoring Obi-Wan's confused looks, Anakin leaned over Padmé, placed his hand under her head, and pulled her into a long, slow kiss. At first, he heard Palpatine's voice mocking him in his head, trying to convince him that it wasn't working, when Anakin knew that it most certainly was. Anakin deepened the kiss, shutting out Palpatine's voice and concentrating only on bringing his love to life again. Then, he felt Padmé's chest rise and fall, he felt her soft breath against his face, and he felt her deepen their kiss, pulling Anakin closer to her and wrapping her arms around him. As they kissed they felt a low rumble come from underneath them, as the ground began to shake. They pulled away from each other to see in front of them a small black ball entangled in blue-white lightning. Anakin knew exactly what (or better yet who) that was, and quickly caught Padmé up in another kiss, this one much more fierce and intense. As they kissed the rumbling deepened, and with one final, violent shake, the black cloud of fury before them exploded, sending sparks of fire and streaks of lightning everywhere across the room. Everywhere, that is, except for the place where Padme and Anakin sat together, lost in each other's kisses and affection.

Only after the explosion had died down did Anakin finally pull away from Padmé, letting her breathe on her own for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. They saw the tears brimming in each other's eyes, felt the waves of relief and love flowing between them. Anakin reached up and let his hand trace the outline of her face, taking in every perfect detail. Padmé lifted her hand up into his long shaggy hair, running her fingers through it. They could've sat there forever, wrapped up in each other, showing each other the depth of their emotions instead of trying to put it all into words. And they would have too, had it not been for the small cough in the background that brought them back to the real world.

Anakin grinned sheepishly at Obi-Wan, who was making a point to look everywhere but at where they were seated. Padmé felt herself blush shamelessly and she lowered her head to try and hide the impish grin that accompanied her reddening face. Anakin took her hand in his and helped her stand up. That's when Padmé and Anakin first noticed the result of the explosion that they had only been faintly aware of.

The stench was unbearable. The rest of the room was covered in black ashes, with small fires scattering the room, burning anything that had survived the explosion. Even Obi-Wan was covered in soot. Anakin looked down by his feet and saw what used to the floor of the office. Now it was a maze of small cracks and even larger gashes that went through the entire level. It was as if a small earthquake had struck, and one had, more or less. Then Anakin noticed the floor where he and Padmé had just been sitting. It was the only place in the whole room that looked as it had before.

"Ani," Padmé whispered, pointing at the area they were standing in. "Look..."

Anakin followed her gaze and realized that the fire had burned around them, creating a perfect symbol of what had triumphed over evil.

"It's a heart," Anakin breathed. He looked down at Padmé and she gave him a small smile. On seeing the heart, Padmé was reminded of an old Nubian saying that she had heard once before: "Love Conquers All". There was now no doubt in her mind that this was true. Suddenly, Padmé realized how cold she felt, and how weak her body was. Her knees began to shake, and she grabbed Anakin's hand.

Anakin turned to his wife and saw her trembling. He needed to get her to a medical ward, and fast. She wasn't exactly in perfect health right now, and if she and the baby were to be alright, they needed to rest.

"C'mon," Anakin said. "Let's go."

--

The three heroes silently exited the ruined office, taking care to step on firm ground. As they left, the three failed to notice the security camera that was sitting in the corner of the room. The camera that had secretly been placed there months ago by Master Yoda himself, so that he could keep an eye on the Chancellor. Even if the three heroes had noticed the camera they never would've guessed that Yoda himself was watching them through the other end, sitting on Kashyyyk, not believing that he ever had thought to put the camera in the room.

"Leave for Coruscant at once, I must," Yoda told Chewbacca and General Tarfful. "End soon, this battle will. Sorry I am to leave my friends at a time like this, but a greater need for me there is on Coruscant."

Chewbacca and Tarfful nodded in response and escorted Yoda to his private ship.


	10. It's Time

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its wonderful characters. It all belongs to George Lucas, who is my idol.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, I'm still trying to work out the final scenes in the story. Many thanks to Yoda1976 and QueenNaberrie, who have given me many suggestions for the ending of my story. Now on to the slightly short, but hopefully still good, chapter 9!

Chapter 9: It's Time

Anakin led Padmé into the turbo lift, with Obi-Wan following closely behind. Anakin could sense Padmé's pain through their bond, the loss of oxygen had weakened her considerably; she was practically leaning on Anakin for support. Anakin leaned against the wall of the turbo lift and pulled Padmé into his arms.

"Are you feeling alright angel?" he asked.

Padmé looked up at him and managed a small smile. She felt awful; her legs were shaking, it was freezing cold, and she felt extremely dizzy. Suddenly, she felt a sharp spasm of pain below her belly, but it quickly went away. She didn't need to worry Anakin about that.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I just need to lay down for awhile, that's all".

Anakin looked at her questioningly. He knew it was more serious than that, but he wasn't going to push her. He felt Padmé wince in pain again and he tightened his embrace around her and shared a look with Obi-Wan.

"_Master, she needs medical attention,"_ Anakin told him.

"_Yes, and so do you,"_ Obi-Wan agreed. Anakin looked down as Padmé let out a small gasp of pain, but her face immediately became calm once again. Anakin looked back at Obi-Wan with a worried expression on his face.

"_I'm fine, she needs it more than I do,"_ Anakin insisted.

"_We'll head to the Temple and have the healers care for her," _Obi-Wan suggested.

"_Thank you,"_ Anakin replied.

"Padmé," Obi-Wan said, "why don't you share your news with Anakin now?"

Padmé looked over at Obi-Wan and smiled. She was anxious to tell Anakin, and now was a good as any time. Then, she felt another spasm of pain and she screwed up her face against it. Taking a deep breath, she turned to look up at Anakin and was met with his gorgeous smile. _"Force, he's handsome,"_ Padmé thought.

"So, what's this big news you have?" Anakin asked.

"Ani," Padmé started, "I went to see the doctor today-"

"Is everything ok?" Anakin interjected.

"Yes, Ani, everything's fine," she replied with a laugh. Her laugh was soon cut short by a grimace of pain, and Padmé took another few deep breaths. After the pain had passed, she looked up to see a very concerned Anakin rubbing her shoulders. He was always so worried about her! It was a quality that Padmé loved about him.

"Actually, he told me some exciting news," she continued. "Anakin, we're having twins!"

For a split second Anakin stared at Padmé with his mouth open, completely shocked. Then, his gaping mouth formed a wonderfully excited smile.

"We are?" he asked, almost afraid to believe her.

Padmé nodded enthusiastically and confirmed his disbelief with a wide smile.

Anakin was overwhelmed with happiness. Twins! He was going to be a father to not one, but **two** children. He quickly caught Padmé in his arms and twirled her around (which is easier said than done when in a turbo lift).

"This is wonderful Padmé!" he exclaimed. Padmé giggled as she spun around the lift, landing softly on the ground. Anakin brought her lips up to his, and they shared a kiss that expressed just how thrilled they were.

Obi-Wan smiled at the young couple. They were so perfect for each other, and so in love. He was truly starting to doubt the Code's rules against attachment; if Anakin had beaten a Sith Master by using the strength of the emotions that he shared with Padmé, surely attachment was not completely bad for a Jedi.

Suddenly, Padmé leaned against Anakin, shivering violently and holding her belly.

"Oh Ani…" she moaned. She was clutching her stomach and her face was screwed up in pain.

But Anakin was way ahead of her. Before she had even gotten the words out of her mouth Anakin had already draped his cloak over and pulled her close, trying to warm her.

"Ani…" Padmé whispered.

"Shhh…" Anakin interrupted. "Just close your eyes. Try and relax, I've got you."

"No, Anakin, you don't understaaannnddd!" Padmé screamed in pain again, and this time it was accompanied by the sound of water flowing down her robes.

"Oh Force…" Anakin breathed. This couldn't be good.

Padmé groaned in pain again and grabbed on to Anakin's hand.

"Anakin, it's time!" she said through clenched teeth.

Anakin nodded wordlessly and shifted his wait so that he was supporting Padmé better, in case another contraction hit. By the time the turbo lift had opened again, Anakin was talking Padmé through each contraction and helping her catch her breath. Captain Typho and Bail Organa rushed forward as Obi-Wan stood to the side to let Anakin and Padmé through.

"Is she alright?"

"What happened up there?"

"What became of Palpatine?"

Anakin didn't want to have deal with these questions right now. Obi-Wan sensed that and he quickly came forward.

"Gentlemen, the senator is fine, but she needs medical assistance. Anakin is taking her to the Healers Ward in the Jedi Temple. I can answer any of the questions you have."

Anakin gave Obi-Wan a grateful glance, and then hurried outside to find a speeder. He took off for the Temple as Padmé breathed deeply and grunted every so often from the pain of another contraction.

"Ani…" she moaned.

"It's alright angel," Anakin answered, reaching over and taking her hand in his. "We're almost there."


	11. I Don't Care If They Know

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its magnificent characters. It all belongs to George Lucas, aka my idol.

A/N: This chapter is also a little bit shorter than usual, but don't worry, the next one will be long and involve a much anticipated childbirth! So, on to chapter 10…

Chapter 10: I Don't Care If They Know

_Two hours later…._

Obi-Wan watched Anakin fidgeting in the chair across from him. They were both waiting outside of the medical room where Padmé was being cared for. It seemed like they had been waiting forever, and Anakin was having trouble remaining calm.

"_He can defeat a Sith Master and save the galaxy, but he has no patience whatsoever," _Obi-Wan thought amusedly.

Obi-Wan leaned back in his chair, trying to get more comfortable. After Anakin had left he had answered all of Senator Organa's questions, and he had had the bodies of the five Jedi brought down and delivered to the Temple. Obi-Wan and Anakin had not told anyone what had happened; the Healers just thought that they had suffered a great battle. No one asked them anything, and no suspected that they were treating injuries caused by a Sith Master. Palpatine had been pronounced dead (in body and spirit) along with Jedi Masters Saesee Tiin and Agen Kolar. Masters Kit Fitso and Mace Windu were in critical condition, but they were holding on. The fact that they had lost two Jedi Masters today was unthinkable, but the fact that the Chosen One had fulfilled his destiny was even more amazing. Obi-Wan thought about all that had happened today; about how he had been deceived by his worst enemy and his best friend, and how in the end his former Padawan – and his brother – had saved the galaxy. It certainly had been one extraordinarily strange day.

Anakin sat in the stiff chairs of the waiting room, wishing more than anything that he could see if Padmé was alright. Instead, he, Obi-Wan, Senator Organa, Padmé's handmaidens, and a few of Organa's officers were all sitting outside and waiting for any news. The healers had tried to get Anakin to come in to have his injuries tended to, but he wouldn't have it; he insisted that Padmé, Mace Windu, and Kit Fitso be given complete medical attention. In the end, the healer had cleaned and bandaged his injury in the waiting room, while Anakin had pestered her with questions about how Padmé was doing.

Suddenly, the entrance to the Medical Ward opened, and Master Yoda hobbled through, accompanied by Master Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"Master Yoda!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "You weren't expected to return for another week."

"Know this, I do, Master Kenobi," Yoda interrupted. "Returned, I did, to see how young Skywalker was doing".

"I – I'm fine Master," Anakin replied, a little confused as to why Yoda had come back just to see if he was ok.

Then, Jedi Healer Barriss Offee came out of the Medical Ward.

"How is she?" Anakin asked, jumping out of his chair and completely forgetting about Master Yoda.

"I'm afraid that some complications have arisen," Barriss replied. "She is still in labor, but whatever ordeal the Senator has been through has left her in a much weakened condition. If she progresses through labor and delivers the babies naturally, there is a high chance that she will not be strong enough to survive childbirth."

Anakin sat back down with a stunned expression on his face. Surely, that couldn't happen, Padmé would not die, she couldn't…

"_You knew that she was going to die in childbirth, you dreamt it," _he reminded himself. _"You were wrong to think that defeating Palpatine would have saved her, she's still going to die…"_

"No!" Anakin exclaimed. "There must be another way, isn't there anything you can do?"

"Well, there are a number of methods we could try, an emergency c-section being one of them," Barriss replied. "But without knowing what type of injury has put the Senator into such a weakened condition, I'm not sure if any of these methods would be safe to use. If we knew the cause of her injuries, and the causes of the other two Jedi Masters' injuries, we may be able to help them."

"I'm afraid we can not give you that information Healer Offee," Obi-Wan replied. "Not until we have met with the Council."

Barriss gave him a look of pure exasperation, and then turned to look at Anakin. "Then I'm afraid there is nothing we can do for the senator," she said.

"I'm sure one of your methods would be able to help Senator Amidala," Obi-Wan interjected, seeing the state of distress and panic that Anakin was in. "Perhaps the emergency c-section-"

"Master Kenobi I will **not** operate on a patient without knowing the extent of her injuries!" Barriss exclaimed. "If her body cannot handle the stress of childbirth then a surgery like a c-section could put her life at risk as well! Without any further information I can only assist the Senator in the child birthing process and do the best that I can to help her survive it."

Anakin immediately jumped up and began pacing. "You've got to do something! You can't tell me that you are just going to sit back and let her die!"

"Knight Skywalker, I have already explained this!" she exclaimed. "There-"

"Perform the c-section, you will Healer Offee."

Anakin, Barriss, and Obi-Wan all turned to look at Master Yoda, who was surveying them with a watchful eye.

"But, Master Yoda-"

"Know the extent of her injuries, I do," Yoda interrupted, ignoring the perplexed looks on Anakin and Obi-Wan's faces. "Safe for the Senator, the c-section will be."

Barriss took a deep breath and nodded curtly towards Master Yoda.

"Very well, I will perform the c-section."

"I'm going back there with you."

It had taken Anakin all of two seconds to decide that he needed to go to Padmé. What Barriss had said struck him to the core. His angel was… dying. She wasn't strong enough to properly deliver the babies without a surgery…Padmé needed him there with her.

"Where is she now?" Anakin asked.

"She's in the main operating room," Barriss answered, "but, Knight Skywalker, there is no need for you to go back there. The Senator is in good hands, I assure you."

Anakin ignored Healer Offee's comment and quickly turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on his arm. It was Obi-Wan.

"I'm not sure that Healer Offee wants you back there Anakin," Obi-Wan said with a warning tone.

"Master she needs me; I have to go to her!" Anakin insisted.

"_Think about what you're doing Anakin,"_ Obi-Wan told him through their bond. If the Council found out about the two of them, Anakin would be in immense trouble.

"Dammit Master, I don't care if they know!" Anakin yelled. With that he stormed off and left the waiting room, heading straight for Padmé.

Barriss turned to look at Obi-Wan. "What is he talking about?" she asked.

"Perhaps you should prepare for the c-section, Healer Offee," Obi-Wan suggested.

"But what about-" Barriss stopped herself. Anakin didn't care if 'they knew'. Senator Amidala was pregnant…. No, it couldn't be.

"Master Kenobi," Barriss began, "How well does Anakin know the Senator?"

Obi-Wan said nothing and turned to follow Anakin into the Medical Ward.


	12. I Saw Our Children

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of George Lucas, which means that I can only fantasize about flying away with Anakin…

A/N: I'm so sorry that it's taken so long for me to update! School has been pretty intense lately, but this chapter is finally ready! Most of my readers probably won't like the ending, and I apologize for that, but I promise more excitement in the next chapter, which I hope to have posted before the end of the week. So, enjoy!

Chapter 11: I Saw Our Children

Anakin raced through the halls of the medical ward until he came to the room where Padmé was lying. Through the window he saw the cold medical bed and the multiple machines and tools blinking and humming all around her. Her eyes were closed and her hands rested on her stomach. She was so still that Anakin would have taken her for unconscious, if not for the gasps of pain she released every so often with each contraction.

He couldn't bear seeing her like this. He couldn't take seeing her so weak, so vulnerable. He wanted to rush in and save her, but he didn't know how. He felt as though there was nothing he could do. The healers thought it unlikely she would even survive childbirth, and he was starting to lose hope too. He didn't want to believe it, but the fact remained that his angel was…dying.

With these thoughts Anakin felt his eyes fill with tears. His shoulders began to shake with silent sobs and he leaned against the window for support. How could this be happening to him? Was this some sort of cruel trick of the Force? Save the galaxy but lose your heart in the process? Anakin wished more than ever that he could save his beloved, but there seemed to be no way to do it.

After awhile Anakin calmed himself and steadied his breathing. He didn't want Padmé to see him so upset. He would remain strong for her…for as long as she needed him to be. As a final attempt to calm himself, Anakin reached out into the Force to clear his mind.

Immediately the medical ward around Anakin was forced from view, and another Force vision came upon him. It was blurry and unclear at first, but soon Anakin found himself looking at the face of a young woman. She had long brown hair with a section braided across the top of her head, and a soft, expressive face. She seemed to be talking to someone that Anakin couldn't see, for her lips were moving without any sound accompanying them. As she turned her head, Anakin looked more closely at her face, and noticed her eyes. They were a brilliant chocolate brown color that spoke her emotions in volumes. In fact, her eyes seemed quite familiar to him…

"…do you remember your mother? Your real mother?"

Anakin heard the voice questioning the young woman, and watched as her expression changed from worried to remembering.

"Just a little bit," she answered. "She died when I was very young."

"What do you remember?" asked the unseen voice

"Just images, really. Feelings," she responded. Anakin was shocked. Obviously this young woman had the Force within her, not many people who lost their mother at a young age would remember her. Then again, not many memories would be described as images and feelings, unless they were memories of someone with the Force.

"Tell me," the voice asked. The young woman sighed and began to relive her memories. Suddenly, Anakin was hit with the realization of who those big brown and eyes and long brown hair reminded him of. This young woman looked like Padmé. In fact, she could almost pass for her… her daughter.

"_Oh, Force,"_ Anakin thought, _"That's our daughter."_

"She was very beautiful," she smiled, making her resemblance to Padmé even more noticeable. "Kind…but sad."

In a rush the vision left him and Anakin opened his eyes to see Padmé lying in the next room. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he realized what the vision was predicting.

"_No!" _Anakin protested, _"I won't let her die! I won't let our children grow up not knowing their mother; I won't raise our children by myself! I need her with me, the children and I need her. I - I can't live without her."_

Anakin took a deep breath and calmed himself, wiping away his tears. He would not let this vision come true. His daughter would know her mother; he would make sure of it. He had stopped the fate of his earlier vision; he would change the fate of this on as well.

--

Padmé winced in pain as another contraction hit, and then closed her eyes and breathed in and out. Slowly, in and out, in and out, to try and clear the dizziness and maintain her focus on the situation at hand. The only problem was, she didn't think she was strong enough to manage the situation at hand. How could she give birth, give birth to _twins_, when she could hardly stay conscious during her contractions? And where in the galaxy was Healer Offee? Padmé wanted her back here to give her some sort of drug so she could get these children out! And oh, did they ever want out. Padmé would've screamed out in pain for the Healer to get her butt back in here, but she didn't think she had the strength too.

"Padmé?"

Padmé turned to see Anakin in the doorway, looking very pale. She realized that she must look very pale too, and gave him a forced smile.

"I'm fine Anakin," she said. "Your children are just not helping the situation very much right now."

Anakin grinned but then frowned as Padmé moaned in pain.

"Anakin, where is Healer Offee?" she asked. "I want these babies out!"

"Padmé, Healer Offee told me how you were doing," Anakin began.

Padmé closed her eyes and blinked back the tears. She prayed that Anakin wasn't about to tell her that she wouldn't survive the childbirth. She didn't want to hear it. She was going to pull through, and she didn't want to have to listen to everyone tell her that it just wasn't medically possible for her to survive.

"She said that trying to go through with the natural birthing process would be too much of a risk on your life," Anakin said.

Padmé nodded, her eyes still shut tight. _"I don't want to hear this,"_ she thought.

"But she said that there might still be hope," Anakin continued. "She's going to perform a c-section instead, which she thinks might be safer for you and the babies."

She felt the tears leaking from the corner of her eyes and opened them to smile at Anakin. There was still hope, she may still live! Anakin leaned forward and gently wrapped Padmé up in his arms.

"I won't let you die Padmé, I promise you," he whispered.

Padmé nodded into his chest and she wet his tunic with her tears. After awhile Anakin pulled back and smiled at her.

"I saw our children," he said.

"What?" Padmé asked. He saw the children? But…oh, he had had Force visions about them!

"They're beautiful, Padmé," he said. "Our son has my blonde hair and blue eyes, and our daughter looks just like you, just as beautiful."

"Oh, Anakin that's wonderful!" Padme cried. "What were they doing in your vision?"

Here Anakin shifted uncomfortably in his seat and didn't meet her eyes.

"Anakin?"

"Well, the visions I had, they were…warnings. Premonitions of what would happen if I didn't change things. This first vision I had was of our son. It was right before I fought Palpatine. In my vision, Palpatine was torturing our son with Force lightning," he said.

Padmé gasped and unconsciously rubbed her stomach. "But that won't happen, will it? You defeated him, so the vision won't happen," she insisted.

"Right," Anakin agreed.

"And when you saw our daughter?" she asked.

"It was just now, before I came in your room," Anakin began," I saw her talking to someone. The person, I couldn't see who, was asking her about her mother, her real mother. She said that you had died when she was very young, and that all she remembered were images and feelings. She described you as beautiful, kind, but sad."

Padmé felt the tears threaten to fall again as she rubbed her stomach. Her baby would never know her. She would be raised by another woman, and all Padmé would mean to her was a few feelings, a handful of images. It just wasn't right, it wasn't fair. Padmé wanted more than anything to live and raise her children with Anakin. If she could have nothing else but that, she would be happy for the rest of her days.

Anakin took Padmé's hand in his and kissed it. "I won't let this vision come true, Padmé," he vowed. "I stopped the other one from coming true, and I will stop this one as well. I won't let you die."

Padmé nodded and squeezed Anakin's hand tighter. She loved him so much, and if there was anyone in the galaxy that could help her safely through childbirth, then it was her wonderful husband and Jedi protector, Anakin.

--

Obi-Wan walked briskly through the medical ward and stopped just outside Padmé's room. Anakin and Padmé were inside talking quietly together, Anakin was probably telling Padmé of Healer Offee's diagnosis. Obi-Wan stepped forward to enter, but was stopped by a voice.

"Master Kenobi!" Healer Offee called.

Obi-Wan sighed inwardly and turned around to face the very agitated Healer.

"I asked you a question just now, Master," she said, "and you failed to answer it."

"It is not my place to tell you about the personal life of Knight Skywalker," Obi-Wan began.

"Force, Obi-Wan, would you stop this little act!" she demanded. "I will perform the c-section for Senator Amidala, but as head surgeon for the operation I demand to know the extent of her injuries and the extent of her relationship with Anakin!"

"Very well," said Obi-Wan, his patience wearing thin. "Tonight, Anakin defeated the most powerful Sith Master ever seen in history and in the process saved the life of his wife, Senator Amidala, who was cut off from oxygen for about ten minutes because of a Force choke administered by the vengeful spirit form of Palpatine. Now, if you don't mind, Barriss, I would appreciate it if you could assist the Senator in her childbirth, before it is too late and any chance of saving the Senator becomes lost."

A stunned Barriss nodded and moved slowly into the room, summoning her team and donning her scrubs. Obi-Wan nodded and took a seat outside the room, feeling that maybe being in the delivery room right now was not the place for him.

--


End file.
